Matthew 28:19-20

“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you.”  vss. 19-20a

Each of the gospels, with the exception of Mark, have a closing statement by Jesus about their call to continue his mission in all the world. Matthew’s final word from Jesus is called the Great Commission, and leaves no doubt about his intentions. It’s not complicated, the disciples were enjoined to go and call people  to become followers of Jesus through a two step process, baptism and teaching.

And that’s what they did!  And while at first it was a struggle, and any number of obstacles had to be overcome, we ha the Great Commission had remarkable results, and after 2000 years, the number of believers in all the nations now numbers over 2 billion. Even now the Church continues to grow, with thousands of adherents being added every year, particularly in the global South.

With that kind of a presence in the world it would be tempting to think that most people everywhere are living according to the teachings of Jesus. Sadly that isn’t the case, and one of the major challenges for the modern church is reformation. Too many of the baptized fail to make a connection between their profession of faith and the way they live. Instead of loving their neighbor they’ve become obsessed with wealth and possessions. It’s a sad, sad story!

Thought for the Day: How can the Church be reformed?

Matthew 28:16-17

“When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted.” vs. 17

According to Matthew Jesus had instructed Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to tell the disciples that he had risen and  would meet them in Galilee. And even though it’s likely that the disciples were skeptical of the women’s story, Matthew tells us they did go. And sure enough Jesus met them on the mountain just as he said he would. They responded by worshipping him, probably bowing down before him, but then Matthew adds this interesting tidbit, “some doubted.” 

It’s almost as though the resurrection of Jesus wasn’t as clear cut as we might think it was. There was something about his appearance there on the mountain that made them wonder. Perhaps they had, like us, learned from experience that if something is too good to be true, it probably isn’t! But still in spite of their doubts they did worship him. 

In that respect they weren’t unlike ourselves. Many of us regularly worship and in the last couple of months we’ve heard many scriptures and sermons related to the resurrection of Jesus. And probably some have been sitting there worshipping while also entertaining doubts of all kinds. Can something so wonderful really be true? 

If that’s the case it’s good news to know that some of the disciples felt the same way. Jesus didn’t scold them, he gave them a mission–and that’s what he does with us. Doubters evidently can be effective witnesses too!

Thought for the Day: What do I do with my doubts during worship?

2 Corinthians 13:11-13

“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.” vs. 13

The closing of Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians is familiar to many of us, even if we didn’t know that it was a bible verse. We hear these words frequently in worship, and they’re a reminder of the Trinitarian emphasis that has been a part of the Church’s teaching from the beginning. While early leaders didn’t use the complex theological terms that later generations put into play at the ecumenical councils of the Fourth Century, they had discovered that when we talk about the Divine Presence it’s natural to use words that reflect a Trinitarian experience of God.

The great thing about a simple verse like this is that it sums up all the important parts of our faith. As believers we are gathered into community by the Holy Spirit to celebrate the grace that is ours in Jesus Christ and bask in the unconditional love of God that holds all things together.

We only run into problems and disagreement when we start arguing about the intricacies of  the connections between these three Persons. Sometimes the contentions have gotten so intense that large portions of the Church have separated from one another.

Some of the difficulty has come because we think the Trinity is something to be believed in, and not just  experienced, and that’s just wrong! The Trinity is a description of our salvation and deserves to be celebrated, and not argued about.

Thought for the Day: How do I experience the Trinity?

Psalm 8:5-9

“You have given them dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under their feet…” vs. 6

The psalmist was mindful of the ultimate insignificance of humans in the universe, yet he also believed that they had a significant place among created beings. They had been given the responsibility of dominion over the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea. In other words, the stewardship of the earth and its creatures was a human responsibility.

However we might agree or disagree with the psalmist’s assertion, there is no doubt that humans have an outsized responsibility for the care of the earth. The things that we have done and continue to do have a profound effect on the well-being of our planet and the future of human existence.

Unfortunately, we have been much more interested in extracting wealth from creation than in taking care of it. We have accelerated the extinction of species, polluted the seas, ravaged the landscape in search of treasure, and threatened delicate climatic balances. When given a choice between more riches and environmental concerns we regularly choose wealth. 

Sadly, even though we know the consequences of our current practices, there is little will to do the things that will make a difference. The love of money is driving us to the edge of disaster, and no one knows if faithful stewards can save the day.

Thought for the Day: What is a faithful steward?

Psalm 8:1-4

“When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; What is man, that thou art mindful of him?”

Vss. 3-4a

The psalmist had been contemplating the heavens and marveling at the wonder of it all. Because in those days there was no light pollution it’s likely that every night he was treated to a show, the likes of which few of us have seen. The night sky would have been alive with stars and galaxies, many of which by that time, would have had names. And he was awestruck! It was all so wonderful and mysterious, and its intricacies beyond his understanding. And we who have had a chance to look at the photographs taken from the James Webb Space Telescope know exactly what he meant. 

In fact, because we know so much more about space than did the psalmist, we completely understand his conclusion, “What is man, that thou art mindful of him?” We are so puny, and our life expectancies so miniscule, that we can’t help but be humbled by our obvious insignificance. We are tempted to believe that if the human race were wiped out, the universe would neither notice nor care. 

But the psalmist’s conclusion did not lead him to despair. Instead it only increased his sense of wonder and thanksgiving. The fact that we are alive on this speck of a planet is so improbable that we are bound to give God daily thanks and praise. Against all odds we are alive! Wow, what a gift!

Thought for the Day: How do I show daily appreciation for life?

Genesis 1:26-2:4a

“And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.” vs. 31

 The writers of this creation story from Genesis described the universe and the world that God had spoken into existence as being very good, and that included the humans who had been charged with its stewardship.

It is so important for us to remember this bold affirmation as we struggle with the brokenness that we see in ourselves and in the world in general. Because the hurting is so widespread and so close we can sometimes be persuaded to look at life itself with jaundiced eyes. Things can get so bad, and our displeasure so intense, that we begin to believe the world is an awful place to live. The negativity can become overwhelming!

People of faith should know better. God’s very image has been stamped into our being from the moment of birth, and human nature is at its core hard-wired for goodness. And so is the world around us! When we take time to contemplate the creation and open our senses to the liveliness and beauty that are all around us, our feelings of despair melt away and we are reconnected with our Loving Maker.

Of course that doesn’t mean that brokenness is not present. We see and experience its ugliness everyday. But God’s first word is goodness, and ultimately, and because God’s second word is Jesus, restoration will triumph.

Thought for the Day: What is the source of my brokenness?

Genesis 1:1-25

“And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.” vss. 2-3

While some read the Hebrew story of creation in Genesis with a sense of incredulity and disbelief, others are deeply moved by the theological and spiritual insights of its writers. They know that it is not a scientific description of how the world was created but an affirmation of the divine origin and essential goodness of all that exists.

It begins with a claim that in the beginning God, however that Being might be described, brought all things into existence with a single Word, and that one Word was Light. This Light did not originate in the sun, for there was no sun, but from the very Spirit of God moving to and fro upon the face of the waters. This idea was picked up by the gospel of John, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

John goes on to say that this Word became flesh in Jesus, and further identifies Jesus as the Light of the World. Because of this some have said that in scripture God only speaks twice: the first word was Lights, and the second word, Jesus. And while that may seem simplistic to some, it really is the truth. When we try to say more about God, our words quickly become incomprehensible.

Thought for the Day: What is Light?

John 20: 21-23

“Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.’ When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.’” vss. 21-22

While the writers of the gospels were certainly aware that Jesus had entrusted his disciples with his message of love and forgiveness, they chose to describe that moment by recounting different stories. Here John combines Matthew’s Great Commission with Luke’s Pentecost account and tells us all we need to know about our mission and the work of the Holy Spirit.

When Jesus appeared to his disciples in the upper room he offered his peace, but he didn’t tell them to rest in it. Instead he commissions them to continue his work, saying, “As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” And then he breathed on them, and gave them the Holy Spirit. What a powerful image! Picture Jesus standing with his disciples, pursing his lips, and then gently blowing his breath upon them. His respiration became theirs and they were inspired, and received all the motivation and power they would need to bring the gospel to the ends of the earth.

And that’s exactly how it continues to work. That same Spirit, the wind of God, unbridled and uncontained, has been breathed into countless people and made believers of them. And through them the good news of forgiveness and hope continues to bring restoration and healing to our broken world.

Thought for the Day: Where have I felt the Breath of God?

John 20:19-20

“Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you.’ After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.” vss. 19b-20

The disciples, wracked by fear, had locked themselves away in a hidden upper room within the walled city of Jerusalem. Even though they had heard that Jesus had risen from the dead, they had no idea what to do. They didn’t even know if the stories told by the women were true. And then suddenly Jesus was there. There had been no knock, the door had not opened. But  his words, “Peace be with you,” calmed them. Everything was going to be okay!

We still crave those calming words in our moments of fear and anxiety. In this broken world we often seek shelter in our hidden retreats. We feverishly scroll through our inboxes and news sources, looking for words to assure us, but we don’t even know if the stories we read are true. If only we could find some assurance, if only there were someone we could trust.

And then all of a sudden, we’re not quite sure how it happens, Jesus shows up. We’ve been so alone and out of nowhere a companion comes close, and we just know that it’s Jesus. We feel his love and in the silence he speaks, “Peace be with you,” and we are calmed. How good it is to know that we’re not alone, that there is a greater presence who is as near as our breath! 

Thought for the Day: When have I felt the presence of Jesus?

1 Corinthians 12:12-14

“For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.” vs. 13

Strange as it may seem, in recent years the word inclusive has fallen out of favor, along with related words like diversity and equity. All this would come as a surprise to the Apostle Paul who regularly used these concepts to describe what he called the Body of Christ. He told the Corinthians that all believers, whether they were Jews or Greeks, slaves or free, had been baptised into one body. The Church was a diverse group and included believers from a variety of backgrounds and stations in life. 

But even though diversity and inclusion have been celebrated in the Church from the beginning it has been so hard to practice. In this good and broken world people have a natural tendency to prefer the company of those who are more like themselves than different. In fact most Christian congregations seem to unconsciously embrace homogeneity and resist diversity. We really do have clannish tendencies.

Still the Spirit labors on and, almost against our wills, we are sometimes drawn into communities of faith where we rub shoulders and pray with people of many different backgrounds and even different political persuasions.  It’s not easy to be one with such folks. Unity is never easy. But, thank God, the Spirit persists, and the benefits of inclusion and diversity are undeniable.

Thought for the Day: How do I experience diversity in my congregation?